Axminster tube frame support mechanism



Aug. 9, 1938. w. COOPER 2,125,449

AXMINSTER TUBE FRAME SUPPORT MECHANISM Filed July 14, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1938. w. B. COOPER 2,126;449

AXMINSTER TUBE FRAME SUPPORT MECHANISM Filed July 14, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 122A fxyllllllllllllllfl '21 INVENTOR \AQ.\\Q.S\QNI'RLou? WWgL- ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEAXMINSTER TUBE FRAME SUPPORT MECHANISM setts Application July 14-, 1936,Serial No. 90,524

6 Claims.

This invention relates to pile fabric looms of the Axminster type inwhich the pile yarn is conveyed to the loom by means of tube frames,carried by a movable chain carrier, and particularly to novel mechanismadapted to relieve the chain carrier of the weight of the protrudingtube frames when the course of the chain departs from the horizontal.

In the usual Axminster loom, the tube frames are so designed and somounted in the links of the chain carrier that the center of gravity ofthe tube frame is on one side of the chain, with the result that whenthe course of the chain carrier departs from the horizontal, the weightof the .tube frame, which is substantial, exerts a rotational twistingstrain on the links of the chain, or the tube frame brackets connectingthe tube frames with the chain, or both, which has resulted in frequentbreakage of those parts.

The object of the present invention is to relieve the parts of thesestrains and I have found that that result may be accomplished by theprovision of a number of supporting fingers, each adapted to abut aportion of the under surface of the tube frame and to support the weightthereof. As will appear, the supporting fingers which I provide for thepurpose, are preferably mounted on an auxiliary chain adapted to runclosely adjacent to the course of the chain carrier, and at the samerate of speed therewith, so that the abutting, supporting position ofthe fingers beneath the tube frames is maintained during feed of thechain carrier.

These and further objects and advantages of my invention will appearfrom a more detailed description thereof taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of a chain carrier with tube frames, shownas rounding a sprocket to indicate the manner of presenting andmaintaining my novel supporting fingers in their proper positionrelative to the tube frames to be supported;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation View on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

in the chain carrier have been omitted for clearness;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a tube frame carrier chain andsprocket, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,indicating the manner of securing a tube frame in a carrier chain.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I indicates one of the two chainsof a chain carrier, of usual. sort, employed for conveying tube frames 3into 5 position in proximity to the weaving point in an Axminster loom.The chain I may, as is customary, be constructed of series of doublelinks 5 and "i, (Fig. 4) connected by single links 9. The sprocket l3,over which the chain l is trained, is of the usual type having pairs ofears l5 and I7 disposed at suitable intervals around its periphery, eachpair being adapted to straddle a single link 9 of the chain to advancethe chain by abutment with links 5 and l. The chain carrier mechanismincludes two chains I one on each end of the tube frame, as is wellknown, and there would be two sprockets l3 to advance these chains atequal rates of speed, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The opposite ends of the tube frames 3 are supported in the chains l bybrackets ll received within the spaces between the double links 5 and 7of the chains. The particular manner of securing the brackets to thechains is immaterial so far as my invention is concerned, and it may bein such a way that the tube frames are adapted to be removed bodily fromthe chain carrier and presented to the weaving point and returned bysuitable transferring mechanism, or so that the tube frames are kept inthe chains during the weaving and the yarn carried from the tube framesto the weaving point by nippers, as in the customary nipper type ofloom.' As typifying any suitable mechanism of this character, I

have indicated the bracket H in Fig. 5 as having an arm l2 received bythe links 5 and T of the chain, an arm !9 secured to the spool 22 and anarm 23 supporting the tubes 25. The end of arm I 2 of the bracket isreceived between the 40 links 5 and 7 of the chain and a spring latch 24temporarily holds the tube frame in the chain. The bracket on theopposite end of the tube frame is, of course, similarly constructed andsupported.

Chain carriers of the type above described are usually provided abovethe loom with a number of long horizontal courses, one above another, inwhich the tube frames are stored, and the chains pass from one course toanother around sprockets. As the lowermost course of the carrierapproaches a position above the Weaving point, it turns vertically tobring the tube frames into position to be accessible by the transferringmechanism or nippers, depending upon the style of loom.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the center of gravity of the tube frame is Welloutside of the chain and it is obvious that as the chain moves out ofthe horizontal, such as when it rounds a sprocket, the weight of thetube frame tends to rotate the frame about the chain to twist and breakthe chain links or brackets.

To relieve the carrier and brackets of this strain, I provide, for eachtube frame, one or more supporting fingers 20 adapted to bear againstany suitable portion or portions of the under surface of the tube frame,such, for example, as the flange 2| of the spool (Fig. 5).

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention thesupporting fingers are presented to their supporting positions indicatedonly when the course of the carrier I departs from the horizontal. Asthis supporting position relative to the advancing tube frames must bemaintained during advance of the carrier, I further provide that thesupporting fingers are advanced at a rate of speed equal to that of thecarrier.

To that end, the fingers 20 are mounted on an auxiliary chain 26 toproject therefrom in the manner indicated and the chain 26 is trainedover an auxiliary sprocket 2'I closely adjacent the sprocket I3 andpreferably of about the same diameter as the latter. An idler sprocket29 may be provided to take the slack of the auxiliary chain.

The construction of the auxiliary chain 26 is similar to that of thechain carrier I and as indicated in detail in Fig. 3, the chain 26 hasseries of paired links 3| and 32 connected by single links 33. Thesprocket 21 has opposed ears 35 and 31 which straddle the single links33 to propel the chain as in the chain carrier I. The sprocket 21 may besecured on the shaft 39 to which the sprocket I3 is secured, or anyother suitable means may be provided for rotating the companionsprockets at the same rate of speed.

Protruding from the outer edge of each of the single links 33 of thechain 26 is the aforesaid supporting finger 20 which is preferablyformed as an integral part of the link 33.

The proper spacing of the fingers 20, relative to that of the tubeframes, may conveniently be obtained by making the links of thefinger-carrying chains of the same dimensions as the links of the tubeframe carrier chains I. Any suitable provision may be made to insurethat the sup porting surfaces of the fingers 20 come into alignment withthe flanges 2| of the spools or other portions which they are to abut,and, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, I may effect this result by mountingthe sprocket 21 on the inside of the sprocket I3 and providing eachsupporting finger 20 with a reverse bend II whereby to bring thesupporting surfaces of the fingers in the desired alignment with theflanges of the spool.

Preferably a similar set of fingers 20 with chain 26 is providedadjacent the opposite carrier chain I to support that end of the tubeframes as indicated in Fig. 2.

With the device constructed as above described, the supporting fingers20 are gradually presented to the tube frames as the course of thecarrier approaches an inclination to the horizontal and the desiredsupporting and abutting relationship between the tube frames and fingersis preserved as the carrier passes around the sprocket and returns toits horizontal position indicated at the bottom of Fig. 1, after whichthe fingers 20 are withdrawn from their supporting position.

My invention is not to be limited to the use of such supporting fingersduring the travel of the tube frame carrier around a sprocket, as I havedescribed that construction merely for the purpose of illustrating onegood form of my invention. Obviously, a similar arrangement can beprovided to insure support during any course of the carrier chain whichis out of the horizontal by simply extending the adjacent course of theauxiliary chain 25 as by using additional auxiliary sprockets.

I claim:

1. A pile fabric loom tube frame supporting mechanism, for use with amovable chain carrier conveying a plurality of tube frames and havingmeans guiding the course of travel of the chain carrier out of thehorizontal, comprising the combination of auxiliary chain means havingspaced fingers projecting therefrom at intervals approximating thespacing of the tube frames in said carrier, means guiding the auxiliarychain means along a path adjacent the carrier to dispose the saidfingers in position to support the weight of the tube frames when thecourse of travel of the carrier departs from the horizontal, andmechanism adapted to feed the auxiliary chain means in said path atsubstantially the same rate of speed as that of the carrier to maintainthe said supporting position during the non-horizontal course of thecarrier.

2. A pile fabric loom tube frame supporting mechanism for use with amovable chain carrier conveying a plurality of tube frames, comprisingthe combination of a plurality of tube frame supporting fingers, amovable support for the fingers on which the fingers are mounted infixed predetermined position, and means for moving the support, thefingers being projected into tube frame supporting position solely bysaid movement of the support.

3. A pile fabric loom tube frame supporting mechanism for use with amovable chain carrier conveying a plurality of tube frames and havingmeans guiding the course of travel of the carrier along a straight pathwhich departs from the horizontal, comprising the combination of aplurality of tube frame supporting fingers, a movable support for thefingers on which the fingers are mounted in fixed predeterminedposition, and means for moving the support to maintain the fingers intube frame supporting position during the travel of the carrier alongsaid straight-nonhorizontal path.

4. A pile fabric loom tube frame supporting mechanism for use with amovable chain carrier conveying a plurality of tube frames and havingsprockets guiding the course of travel of the carrier out of thehorizontal, comprising the combination of a plurality of tube framesupporting fingers, a movable support for the fingers on which thefingers are mounted in fixed predetermined position and means guidingsaid support along a predetermined path to position said fingers in thepath of said tube frames wholly by movement of the fingers in a planenormal to the axis of said sprockets.

5. A pile fabric loom tube frame supporting mechanism for use with amovable chain carrier conveying a plurality of tube frames and havingmeans guiding the course of travel of the chain carrier out of thehorizontal, comprising the combination of auxiliary chain means,sprockets guiding the auxiliary chain means along a course adjacent thesaid chain carrier, spaced tube frame supporting fingers secured to saidauxiliary chain means and projecting outwardly therefrom in directionsto protrude radially as ing the auxiliary chain means along a courseadjacent the said chain carrier, spaced tube frame supporting fingersmounted in fixed predetermined position on said auxiliary chain meansand projecting outwardly a fixed distance therefrom in directions toprotrude radially as the auxiliary chain means passes around a sprocketand means feeding the auxiliary chain means at substantially the samerate of speed as the carrier to maintain the fingers in said supportingposition during the 10 non-horizontal course of the carrier.

WELLESLEY B. COOPER.

